I. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to row crop cultivating equipment used in agriculture, and more specifically to a row crop cultivator including a seeding attachment whereby field cultivation and seeding of the soil can be accomplished during a single pass of the equipment.
II. Discussion of the Prior Art
In the Peterson et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,834,189, there is disclosed an improved row crop cultivator especially designed for use in minimum tillage applications. That patent describes a system in which a plurality of ganged cultivating units are mounted on a toolbar which is adapted to be towed behind a tractor-type farm vehicle. Each cultivating unit or stage comprises a frame which is supported on a pair of spaced-apart gauge wheels. Also mounted on the frame for rotation within the gap between the gauge wheels is a disc-shaped coulter blade, which is configured to cut through crop residue and weed debris as the material being cut is held against the ground surface by the gauge wheels. Trailing directly behind the coulter blade is a middleworker comprising a narrow width shank depending from the frame and having a subsoil point member on its lower leading edge and wing-like shear blades flaring rearwardly and outwardly at a predetermined angle from the lower end of the shank. The middleworker designed in accordance with the Peterson patent provides accurate control over the depth beneath the ground surface at which the lay share blades travel. This adjustment is easily made using a wrench to rotate a threaded rod that is operatively disposed between the frame and a gauge wheel support arm.
Because of the accuracy with which the depth of penetration of the lay shares can be controlled, the addition of a seeding unit in accordance with the present invention converts the row crop cultivator to a seed planting implement, making it possible for the farmer to use the same equipment for cultivating row crops and for solid seeding other crops, such as soybeans. Because the cultivator unit offers excellent control over the depth of penetration, it can be used in virtually any field conditions. For example, it can be used in standing corn stalks, soybean stubble and wheat stubble. Moreover, when travelling between about four m.p.h. and seven m.p.h., the lay shares tend to throw up a "rooster-tail" of dirt as the seeds are being dispensed, allowing for a random pattern of distribution before being covering by the falling layer of dirt. It is known in the art to provide a seeding attachment to a field cultivator, but such a cultivator having a seeding attachment tends to deposit the seeds in row patterns, and because it tends to roll the dirt over rather than lifting it into a rooster-tail, the distribution is not random.